Great Expectations
by wendigo3
Summary: Slash: Simon meets a guy at school, and confirms something about himself that he has only begun to realize. How does his family react?


Title: Great Expectations Rating: PG-13 Author: Wendigo3 Reviews/Comments: wendigo3@hotmail.com  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own 7th Heaven and I have nothing to do with the show or the books. This story is fiction and was written for the enjoyment of fans. It is slash, so if you do not wish to read, or are not old enough, please choose another story.  
  
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Simon closed his eyes and imagined their lips meeting. "What are you doing?" Simon opened his eyes and saw his mother looking at him strangely. "I was trying to relax! Why?" His mother sighed, "I'm sorry, it's been a busy day for me too!" His mother walked over to his bed and sat down. He internally beat himself up over the reversal effect that he had over his mother. Whatever he didn't want her to do, she was always there to do it. "How was school?" Simon looked to the pile of notebooks on his bed and looked back at her. "Okay I guess, but I was given way too much homework for the weekend." Simon's mother looked at him carefully, as if she knew something was going on. "Who told you," Simon asked quietly. "I saw Rebecca's mother at the store today. She said that you and Rebecca broke up almost two months ago. Why didn't I hear about this?" Simon sighed once again, "I guess I figured that it wasn't your business. I know you're busy with the twins and everything, and I just didn't want to have to add this to your busy stress life." Simon's mother sighed and looked directly at his eyes, "There is never a moment in my life where I am too busy or too stressed. Tell me stuff like this, a mother needs to know." Simon nodded and smiled slightly. "Now, I'm going to go downstairs and start calling all of the single girls in the neighborhood." Simon shook his head at his mother, "Why don't you use your sense of humor on Ruthie?" Moments before Simon's mother exited, she looked back at him and smiled once again, "Because she gives it right back and you don't." Simon leaned on the bed and sighed. His eyes closed and all of the thoughts drifted away from his mind. He was able to relax and he fell asleep quickly.  
  
Simon threw his books into his bag and closed his locker. He was thankful that the school day was over, and he was excited to go home and relax. Lately school had become boring and annoying. Simon walked away from his locker and spotted a guy standing against the wall. His loose jeans were held up by a black belt. A tight white T-shirt covered the top half of his body and Simon couldn't keep himself from staring. The guy noticed Simon and smiled at him, causing Simon to become uncomfortable. Simon quickly turned the corner and walked into the boy's restroom. The restroom was empty and Simon glanced at himself in the mirror. "Come on, relax! " The sound of the door opening caused Simon to look towards the door. The guy walked into the bathroom and stood next to Simon ad began to wash his hands in the sink. Simon blushed slightly and was unsure what to say or do. The guy dried his hands and looked at him, "I'm Chase Stein, a senior. I think I've seen you around." Simon nodded, "Yeah, you're in my history class. You sit three rows behind me." The guy nodded and seemed to look Simon up and down. "I know, anyway, I was kinda hoping to talk to you actually. I was waiting for you in the hallway because I knew your locker was around in the area. I need some help in history and I was hoping that you'd be able to help me." Simon nodded. He couldn't believe what he was doing, or what he was thinking, but he quickly decided to help. "Sure. My house is kind of crazy though, if its okay with your family, we could meet at your place." Chase nodded and handed Simon a piece of paper. His address and phone number was written on it. "Come by around 6 or so, that's when everything's quiet at my house." Simon nodded, "Okay, I'll see you then." Chase smiled at Simon once again and then left. Simon leaned against the wall as his eyes rolled back into his head. "He has to know now, I was practically drooling on him!"  
  
Simon picked up his history book and his notebooks and walked out of his room. "Where are you going," Lucy asked quickly. "To help a friend with history." Lucy smiled at him, "Oh, a female friend?" Simon glared at her, "Even if it was, what makes you think I'd tell you." Lucy laughed, "You can either tell me now or I'll follow you!" Simon rolled his eyes and looked at his sister. He quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her into his room, and then closed the door. Lucy laughed at him and finally was able to stop. "So. who is he?" "Just a guy," Simon said casually. Lucy smiled at him, and he broke down. Lucy had figured out about Simon's sexuality and he had confided in her. Lucy was the only one that knew, and he hoped to keep it that way. "Fine, his name is Chase. He's cute and he's in my history class. He asked me for help earlier." Lucy looked at him, "Well, what are you doing here talking to me! Get to his house and jump him!" Simon rolled his eyes at his sister and left his room. He was hopeful that he would be able to leave the house without running into anyone, but he severely doubted it.  
  
Chaise looked at Simon curiously, "So the Articles of Confederation came before the Constitution?" Simon nodded, "Yeah. Remember the essay that we had to do on the representation of the states based on population?" Chase nodded, "Yeah. I didn't know it had anything to do with it." Simon smiled, "Mr. Lewis is a little cryptic sometimes, it's difficult to understand him. The only reason I know all of this is because my older brother was in his class a few years ago. He nearly failed him because he put questions on there that never got brought up in class." Chase sighed, "If I don't pass this class I won't be able to graduate. He seems pretty serious in helping me though." Simon nodded, "He usually is." Chase looked at Simon again and smiled, "You look thirsty. Want something to drink?" Simon nodded, "Sure. Do you have water?" Chase nodded and stood up, "I'll be right back. If you need anything while I'm down there, yell." Simon returned the smile and watched Chase leave. Simon stood up and stretched and looked at the clock. It was almost 8 at night, but they had accomplished a lot. Simon had pretty much given Chase everything he needed to know to pass all of the tests, and he seemed to understand it pretty well. Simon noticed a picture hanging on the wall and he walked over to it. He noticed it was a picture of Chase and one of the main cheerleaders at the school. Simon's eyes quickly went from the girl and back to Chase. He noticed all of the creases in his shirt that outlined his chest perfectly. He continued down to his waistline and quickly focused on the area of the picture that was below the waist. A sound caused Simon to turn quickly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Chase handed Simon a bottle of water and then looked at the picture. "Melissa. She's one of the cheerleaders at our school. Do you know her?" Simon smiled, "Not really. More specifically I know of her." Chase laughed, "She has that impression on people, but she isn't like that. If you actually talked to her, you'd become her best friend instantly. She's cool that way." Simon nodded and then took a drink of the water. It was refreshing and it felt good on his throat. After he finished drinking, he carefully closed the lid and looked back at the desk. "Well, do you want to give your brain a rest for the night or go back to the books?" Chase raised his eyebrows slightly; "It's up to you. I mean, I know you probably need to get home and all." "It's cool, my parents know I'm here. I told them I'd probably be back around 10:30 or so." Chase nodded and walked over to the desk and sat down. Simon followed him and he opened the book to the final chapter that Chase would need to review. "All right, now we're jumping ahead to World War 2." Simon turned to Chase. He had a strange look in his eyes; one that Simon thought seemed familiar somehow. "What?" Chase blushed slightly and leaned foreword. "Oh, I was trying to see what page you were on." Simon looked at the page and smiled slightly, "327." Simon jumped slightly as a hand appeared on his leg. Simon looked to Chase and Chase stared at him. Chase leaned foreword, slowly at first to see Simon's reaction. When Simon didn't try to attack him, Chase continued until their lips met. A million thoughts rushed through their minds, so much in fact that they didn't hear Chase's father rise up the stairs towards Chase's room. The door opened and Chase's father stepped in. His anger and surprise quickly caught up to him. "What's going on?" Simon and Chase backed away from each other quickly. Fear traveled up Simon's spine in less than a second. He quickly grabbed his books and glanced at Chase. "I'm sorry, I should go." Chase closed his eyes in disbelief as Simon walked past his angered father on his way home. "What were you two doing?" Chase glared at his father as a million of the cruel things that he had said about him in the past leapt into his mind. "I don't know dad, it seemed obvious to me!" Mr. Stein rushed towards his son and grabbed his arm with a lot of his strength. Chase quickly puled away, "Don't touch me!" Mr. Stein raised his finger and pointed it directly at his son. "My son is not gay! You are never to be around that filth again, do you understand me?" Chase stepped back and began to speak with sadness in his voice, "Yes I am. I'm gay, and you can't change me, no one can." "No, you're wrong. It's disgusting and immoral." Chase sighed, "Like cheating on mom isn't? Like all of those years that you treated me like I wasn't even your own kid wasn't immoral?" "This is about you, not me!" Chase quickly grabbed his jacket and walked towards the door. Mr. Stein grabbed Chase again and this time Chase was unable to stop himself. His fist connected with his father's jaw and he watched as his father fell to the floor in pain and shock. Tears fell down Chase's face as he was unable to think of anything to say. He turned and walked out of his house quickly.  
  
Simon threw his books in the car and started it up. He couldn't believe that his first kiss with another guy had been caught. He had heard the yelling as he left, and hoped that things wouldn't be as serious as he was thinking things would get. Simon nearly jumped in horror as the passenger door open and Chase got in. He closed the door without speaking, and stared foreword. "What happened," Simon asked quietly. Chase looked to the floor of the car and then glanced at Simon. Simon had never seen someone's eyes filled with so much anger and pain. "I just can't be there right now. Do you know what I mean?" Simon nodded. Even though he couldn't think of anything to say, he quickly started the car and pulled out of the driveway. "We'll go to my house. You can stay with us for a while." Chase didn't say anything, but Simon understood that things were screwed up for him at that point. He had to rethink his entire life. Simon hoped that it wouldn't be a mistake taking Chase to his house, but he was glad that it was Friday and that Ruthie was going to a friend's sleepover. That left Lucy and her husband in their apartment, and the twins across the hall.  
  
Simon walked into his house with Chase behind him. Simon's parents looked up from the table and their pleasant conversation and noticed something horribly wrong. Simon turned to Chase; "You can go up to my room if you want. It's the third door on the right." Chase nodded and walked up the stairs. He seemed to be out of it, and didn't even seem to know that Simon's parents were in the room. Simon's mother stood up and walked towards him, "What happened?" "Chase and his dad had a huge argument. I don't think he should go back home though, is it okay if he stays here for the night so they can both calm down?" Annie looked at her husband and they both agreed. Eric stood up, "Maybe I should go talk to him, he seemed pretty upset." Simon shook his head, "Its okay. I'll go talk to him." Simon walked up the stairs and left Annie and Eric downstairs. "Must have been some argument. I wonder what it was about?" Eric sighed, "I'm not sure. I'm going to go to Chase's house and talk to his parents." Annie looked at Eric calmly; "You know where they live?" "Tom Stein called me a few months ago and asked for my help. He has issues that he needed to work through and he's trying really hard. I'll call you if I find anything out." Annie nodded and she quickly gave Eric a kiss. Eric walked out of the house and Annie debated whether or not she should go upstairs. She finally decided to go and keep the twins company. Annie walked inside the living room and smiled at Lucy. "Hey Mom," Lucy said quietly. The twins were playing with large building blocks and laughing. Lucy noticed a look in her mother's eyes and quickly became worried, "What's wrong?" Annie shook her head; "Simon and his friend are here. Apparently Chase and his father had some kind of argument." Lucy felt fear grow in the pit of her stomach, and she knew that she had to get upstairs. "Are you going to watch the twins?" Annie nodded, "Yes, why? Is there something that you know?" Lucy sighed, "Yes. But I can't tell you. I'm sure you'll know when the time is right." Annie put a hand to her head and sat down on the couch in front of the twins. Lucy quickly left the room and walked upstairs and spotted Simon heading for his room. "What's happening?" Simon turned to Lucy and rolled his eyes. "His dad caught us kissing in his room. He freaked out and they had a huge argument. So, I brought him here!" Lucy sighed, "Dad's on his way to talk to his dad. He's going to find out what happened, and you know he's gonna tell mom." Simon nodded, "Well there isn't any point in avoiding it. Can you be around for support though?" Lucy nodded, "Yeah. I'll make sure to hang around and try to pop in at the right time." Simon thanked his sister and walked into his room. Chase was sitting on the bed staring at the wall. He was obviously breathing, but he wasn't doing much more beyond that. Simon feared the same things that Chase feared, except that he had just gone through it. It worried Simon to think that the same thing would happen to him. Simon quickly walked over and got on his bed and sat down next to Chase. He gently put his arm around his shoulder, "Come here." Chase closed eyes and leaned into Simon. The two of them were scared and confused, but at that moment they shared something that neither of them could explain.  
  
Eric knocked on the door and waited for an answer. After knocking twice after that, the door opened. Mr. Stein opened the door and he looked at Eric. "What do you want?" "Well, Simon brought Chase to my house and said that you two had an argument. I just wanted to come and make sure that you were okay. With everything that we talked about before and all." Mr. Stein took a deep breath as he formulated what he wanted to say. "It sounds like they didn't tell you very much Reverend. Forgive me, but I'm not in much of a talking mood." Eric nodded and raised his hands, "That's fine. But, I would like to help if I can." Tom leaned against the doorframe. "I walked in to Chase's room and caught him and your son kissing. I freaked out and confronted them. Chase and I got into it and he hit me. I pushed him too far, he wouldn't have hit me any other way." Eric was shocked, "Wait. You said that they were kissing?" Tom nodded, "Yes. I don't agree with homosexuality Reverend. This may be cruel, and I hope that god forgives me, but Chase is no longer welcome in my home. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk with my wife because she's a little upset right now." Eric stood in silence as Tom closed the door and locked it. Eric put a hand to his head and waited for his heart to stop beating. He turned and began to walk towards his car as he tried to identify any signs that would tell him that his son was gay. "I never expected this."  
  
Lucy stood in the doorway and listened to the reactions of her parents. "He's gay?" Eric nodded, "Apparently. I haven't talked to Simon yet, but from what I got from Tom's story, all the signs point to it. How did we not see this?" Anne fought back the tears and even though she felt sad, she kept them from coming. "I don't understand! Why Simon?" Eric leaned against the couch and held his wife's hand in his. "I never expected this at all. Not Simon. There was a time that I wondered with Matt, but then he got married." Eric looked at his wife. "We should go upstairs and see Simon. Also, I don't think that we should let Chase stay here." Lucy quickly walked into the room. "Lucy." Lucy looked at her mother and saw the understanding glance in her eyes. "You knew? You knew and you didn't tell us?!" Lucy sighed, "It wasn't my place to tell either of you. It was up to Simon." "Lucy, this is something that we should know about!" Lucy looked at her father, "Simon was afraid to tell you because he was afraid that what happened to Chase tonight would happen to him." "Are Simon and Chase.dating?" Lucy shook her head, "No. Simon and Chase are in the same history class. Chase asked Simon to help him with history, that's it." "That is not it Lucy. I know that you were protecting your brother, but why didn't you tell us. You know how we would act." Lucy nodded, "You mean like you're acting right now?" Lucy looked at the shock in her parent's eyes from her statement. "Look. I thought that I could protect Simon. I figured that it would be better for him to have me on his side, than to have all of us against him." "Lucy, we love Simon. You know that!" Lucy nodded, "But you can't honestly tell me that you approve of him now." Annie and Eric shared a look. "Let's go talk to Simon," Eric said quickly. Lucy shook her head. She crossed her arms and stood in a way that told her parents that she wasn't going to back down. "Simon and Chase are sleeping. Simon is trying to help his friend calm down, and you going up there isn't going to change that. They need time to calm down, and so do you two. You can talk in the morning, and I'll be gone so everything that you say will be private. But you should know that I know how you are feeling because I went through it all too. But Simon is Simon, and he is so kind and smart and that's what I notice about him."  
  
Chase pulled away from Simon and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I guess you don't usually go around kissing guys and holding them after." Simon laughed. "Not usually. Actually, you were the first guy that I kissed." Chase smiled, "Sorry that I ruined it for you." Simon smiled, "You didn't ruin anything. It was great." Chase smiled, "I thought so too." Simon quickly lay on the bed and he pulled Chase down next to him. Simon held his friend and tried his best to make him feel like he could talk to him. Instead, the two of them fell asleep quickly.  
  
The morning came quickly and Chase woke up in Simon's arms. He smiled to himself and was thankful that it was Saturday and there wasn't any need to get up and go to school. Instead, he could stay in Simon's arms and attempt to relax as much as possible. The warmth in Simon's arms wrapped around him made him forget everything that was wrong, and it had a way of distracting him from the events of the previous night. Every time started to think about it, he became comfortable. A feeling of peace overcame him and he looked at Simon. Simon opened his eyes as if sensing someone's eyes on him, and then he looked at Chase. "Good morning." Chase smiled, "Good Morning. Thanks." Simon smiled, "It was the least I could do. We're in this together." Chase glanced at the door; "No one came in to talk to you last night." Simon nodded, "My sister drove my parents away. Lucy is really good at bringing the truth to the surface." Chase nodded, "I remember when she tried out for debate. She decided that she didn't like it because every time she finished talking, people were crying. Right?" Simon nodded, "Exactly." Chase, without thinking, turned to Simon and gently kissed him on the lips. He pulled away after a few seconds; "I'm glad that I have you to face this with, but at the same time I wish that this had never happened to you. I ruined your life." Simon shook his head, "No you didn't. My parents were going to find out eventually. Besides, I was just worried that I was the only gay kid in our town." Chase smiled and leaned back in for another kiss. Moments before their lips met, Chase said something that made Simon feel even more comfortable, "Looks like we're the only ones."  
  
Simon took a deep breath and walked down the stairs into the kitchen. Annie looked up from the cup of coffee in her hands. "Good morning." Simon smiled, "Morning." Simon walked towards the table and sat down. Annie looked at him, "Where's Chase?" "He's upstairs taking a shower. He was pretty upset." Annie nodded, "He wasn't the only one." Simon looked to the table, and then glanced back at his mother when she continued. "Ruthie is going to stay another night at her friend's house, and Kevin and Lucy are going to go visit his mom." Simon nodded, "That's cool." Annie looked at her child and realized quickly how much he had grown. "Mom.I know this is hard for you, I'm not expecting this to be normal right away." Annie raised her eyebrows. "It may never be normal Simon, but I love you. Your dad loves you too. And somehow, I suppose that I've always known." Annie stirred her coffee but didn't take a drink. She seemed to be thinking for a minute, and then she looked at her son. "Last night, I was thinking about everything that all of us have been through. I was thinking about all of your old girlfriends, and I realized that when you with them, you were never happy." Simon nodded, "I thought I was at first, but I always knew that something was wrong." Annie nodded, "Somehow I was able to tell. Simon, Lucy said that the reason you never told us was because you were afraid that we would disown you and kick you out. You have to know that it would never happen. Your father and I care for you very much and we love you more than you can probably understand." Simon listened closely at what his mother was saying as the tears fell. "It doesn't matter to me who you love, as long as you love. You're my son and you always will be. Your dad and I have already decided on this, there isn't a need to be afraid." Simon stood up and hugged his mother in an attempt to keep himself from crying, but it didn't happen. His sadness and fear vanished as happiness and a sense of pride overfilled him. Even with all of his happiness, he wished that he could somehow share it with Chase. He couldn't say that he loved him, but he definitely felt something for him. There was a connection, and Simon had never had that with any other guy. "Where is dad?" Annie let her hold over her sun end so that he could breathe. "He went to talk to Chase's dad." Simon sighed, "Do you think he'll have any luck?" Annie raised her shoulders; "I hope so. You know him better than I do." Simon hoped that his father would be successful, but he wasn't so sure. "I guess we'll see. I'm going to go check on Chase." Annie allowed her son to walk towards the stairs, but she stopped him, "Simon?" Simon turned to look at her. "Yeah?" "Make sure the door's open. Just because you're not dating a girl doesn't mean we don't still have rules." Simon laughed and then continued upstairs. Annie smiled to herself and then walked over and kneeled down to the floor and petted Happy.  
  
Simon knocked on his bedroom door and Chase's voice responded for him to come in. Simon walked in and smiled at him. "You didn't have to knock to come in, and sorry that I used your room and stuff." Simon raised his hand, "Don't worry about it." Simon looked down and smiled at the robe that was around him. Simon realized quickly that Chase didn't have any clothes. Chase blushed slightly as Simon stared at him. "All of my clothes are in the dresser and the closet. Help yourself to whatever you need, I'll be downstairs if you need me." Chase nodded and then looked at Simon. "What is it?" "What?" Chase stared into Simon's eyes. "You're not telling me something." Simon nodded, "My dad is on his way to talk to your dad." Chase sighed, "Good luck. He probably won't even open the door for him." Simon looked at him, "Don't be pessimistic. You're too cute for it." Simon quickly exited the room and closed the door behind him. Chase walked over to Simon's closet and picked out some clothes and then put them on. He hoped that Simon's dad would be able to help, but he doubted it.  
  
Eric walked into the house and spotted Annie and Simon quickly. They turned to him and smiled, and Eric couldn't believe that things didn't feel different. "Did you have any luck?" Eric shook his head. "Unfortunately no one was home. I left a note and told them that they were invited to dinner, we'll see if they show up." Annie nodded and Eric looked at Simon. "How are you?" "I'm fine, thanks for asking." Eric nodded, "How's Chase?" Simon sighed, "I'm not sure." Eric nodded and looked at Annie, "Maybe we should go talk to him." Simon quickly looked at his mother, "Actually, I'll bring him down. He might not like being ambushed right away." Simon passed his father and walked up the stairs quickly and found Chase on his way down. "My dad's home, him and my mom want to meet you and interrogate you." Chase looked nervous for a second and then realized Simon was kidding, "I don't know if I'm ready for that. I mean, I should be getting something if I have to face them, right?" Simon laughed and grabbed Chase's hand. He pulled Chase near him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Simon kissed Chase on the lips and when Chase slowly parted his mouth, Simon began to go further. The two of them stood for a few seconds and continued to kiss, until Chase took a step back. "We have to talk to your parents. If we don't stop, they'll come up and catch us, and then we won't be able to be near each other!" Simon rolled his eyes, "Let's get this over with. We're still going to have to get through dinner tonight." "Dinner?" "Yeah, I forgot to tell you." Chase looked at Simon with a curious glance and waited for Simon to continue. When nothing came, he reached the point that he couldn't wait any longer, "What's happening at dinner?" Simon decided that the truth would be the best way to put it, and that he wouldn't forget to tell him a single thing. "Your parents are coming to dinner tonight. With us." Chase put a hand to his head, "It's going to be world war three in there!" Simon quickly grabbed Chase's hand; "We'll all be there to support you. Besides, I'll protect you." Chase smiled and walked with Simon downstairs while the two of them held hands.  
  
Chase stared at his father across the table and then noticed his mother looking at her plate. She had been doing the same thing for almost an hour, but it was nice that it was quiet. Simon sat next to him and Simon's parents were at both ends of the table, so he was at least fairly confident that his father couldn't reach across the table and crush his throat. Chase couldn't eat, but it wasn't because the food was bad; he just wasn't hungry. He looked around the table and noticed that no one was really eating, just sitting in the silence. Chase's father stood up quickly and shook his head, "I'm sorry, I can't do this. I thought I could, but I can't." "Tom." Chase's mother began. Tom shook his head, "No. I tried but I can't, thanks for your invitation but it's too soon. Its time to go." Eric stood up quickly, "Tom, you shouldn't just leave like this. We know it isn't easy for you, but it has to be dealt with at some point." Tom shook his head and looked directly at Chase. Anger filled his eyes, but he managed to hold back any remarks except to say one thing, "I'll pack up some things and drop them by. They'll be here when you get out of school." Tom's mother gasped slightly but quickly followed her husband out of the room without saying anything to her son. Before she left, she gave him a sad look and a half-smile, but it didn't do any good. Annie sighed and looked at Eric, while Chase stood up and walked out of the room. Eric started to go after him, but Simon stopped him. "I'll go." Annie stood up and walked next to her husband and leaned her head on his shoulder. "What are we going to do, he can't stay here." Eric sighed, "We can't send him somewhere else either." Annie took a few steps away from her husband and then turned to face him, "I'll call Ruthie and see if she can stay for a little while longer. In the meantime, we need to check on Simon. I know that he says he's doing okay, but I'm not so sure."  
  
"I warned you that things would be horrible, but I didn't really expect this. I was hoping that he would talk to your dad and come to his senses." Simon nodded, "We all were, but it didn't work like we thought." Chase sighed, "I can't expect to stay here, your parents have been too nice already." Simon shook his head; "They want you to stay here. They know I care about you and they don't want you to be alone right now." Chase shook his head, "But I am. My parents have turned their backs on me." "What are you saying? You don't think that I don't care about you?" Chase sat on Simon's bed. "I'm not sure what to think. I'm so confused right now!" Simon sat next to Chase. "Chase, I've never felt like I do for any other guy except you. I've looked at other guys, but I've never felt this need to be around you as much as possible." Chase sighed, "I felt the same way about you. I just don't know who I am any more, everything has changed." Simon sighed, "All I can say is that we have to stick together and work through this together." Chase stood up and turned to Simon. "Promise?" Simon stood up and nodded confidently, as if he grew into an adult quickly. "I promise. Now, let's go downstairs because the day is still beautiful." Chase smiled and quickly leaned in and shared a kiss with Simon as Annie and Eric watched from the doorway. 


End file.
